POINT-TO-MULTIPOINT DIGITAL RADIO FREQUENCY TRANSPORT

• US 20170214460A1
• Filed: 04/10/2017
• Published: 07/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wala, Philip M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,498,434 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/4006 Conversion to or from arithmetic code
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25753 Distribution optical network, e.g. between a base station and a plurality of remote units
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25754 Star network topology
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/109 among a plurality of temporal predictive coding modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/139 Analysis of motion vectors, e.g. their magnitude, direction, variance or reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/625 using discrete cosine transform [DCT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/91 Entropy coding, e.g. variable length coding [VLC] or arithmetic coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0067 Provisions for optical access or distribution networks, e.g. Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GE-PON), ATM-based Passive Optical Network (A-PON), PON-Ring
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0047 Broadcast; Multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 : Access point devices with remote components
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 370/906 : Fiber data distribution interface, FDDI
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 370/907 : Synchronous optical network, SONET

Abstract

One embodiment is directed to a system for use with a coverage area in which one or more wireless units wirelessly transmit using a wireless radio frequency spectrum. The system comprises a first unit, and a plurality of second units communicatively coupled to the first unit using at least one communication medium. Each of the plurality of second units generates respective digital RF samples indicative of a respective analog wireless signal received at that second unit. Each of the plurality of second units communicates the respective digital RF samples generated by that second unit to the first unit using the at least one communication medium. The first unit digitally sums corresponding digital RF samples received from the plurality of second units to produce summed digital RF samples. The system is configured so that an input used for base station processing is derived from the resulting summed digital RF samples.

Claims

1. A method of digital transport of wireless spectrum, the method comprising:

receiving first digital samples from a downstream unit within a communication system, the fist digital samples indicative of at least a first portion of a first wireless spectrum of a first analog wireless signal comprising the first wireless spectrum and any transmission from any wireless units within a first coverage area associated with the third downstream unit;

digitally summing the first digital samples with second digital samples indicative of at least a second portion of a second wireless spectrum of a second analog wireless signal to produce first summed digital samples;

communicating the first summed digital samples to an upstream unit; and

deriving an input used for base station processing from the first summed digital samples.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the first summed digital samples to an upstream unit includes communicating the first summed digital samples across a cabled communication link.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the downstream unit is a digital expansion unit;

wherein the upstream unit is a host unit; and

wherein the downstream unit is a remote antenna unit.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the second analog wireless signal comprising the second wireless spectrum and any transmissions from any wireless units within a second coverage area at a second downstream unit; and

receiving the second digital samples from the second downstream unit.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the second wireless spectrum overlaps in wireless spectrum with the first portion of the first wireless spectrum.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the second wireless spectrum covers the same frequency range as the first portion of the first wireless spectrum.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the base station processing is at least one of:

co-located with the second unit and remote from the second unit.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the base station processing is performed by at least a portion of a base station.

9. A method of digital transport of wireless spectrum, the method comprising:

receiving first radio frequency signals from a first coverage area at a first remote antenna unit;

converting the first radio frequency signals into a first digitized received spectrum at the first remote antenna unit;

receiving the first digitized received spectrum at a summing unit within a communication system from the first remote antenna unit;

digitally summing the first digitized spectrum with a second digitized spectrum to generate a digitally summed signal at the summing unit;

transmitting the digitally summed signal toward a host unit of the communication system;

converting the digitally summed signal to another signal at the host unit.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving the second digitized spectrum at the summing unit from a second remote antenna unit.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second remote antenna unit is remote from the summing unit.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the summing unit is a digital expansion unit.

13. A method of digital transport of wireless spectrum, the method comprising:

receiving a first analog wireless signal comprising first wireless spectrum and any transmissions from any wireless units within a first coverage area at a first unit within a system;

generating first digital samples indicative of at least a first portion of the first wireless spectrum of the first analog wireless signal at the first unit;

communicating the first digital samples from the first unit to a second unit within the system;

digitally summing the first digital samples with second digital samples indicative of at least a second portion of a second wireless spectrum of a second analog wireless signal to produce first summed digital samples at the second unit;

communicating the first summed digital samples across a first cabled communication link from the second unit to a third unit of the system;

deriving an input for base station processing from the first summed digital samples.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first unit is remotely located from the second unit;

and

wherein communicating the first digital samples from the first unit to the second unit occurs across at least a second cabled communication link.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first unit is a remote unit;

wherein the second unit is a digital expansion unit; and

wherein the third unit is a host unit.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

converting at least one of the first summed digital samples and a signal based on the first summed digital samples to a replicated analog wireless signal.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

converting at least one of the first summed digital samples and the signal based on the first summed digital samples to the replicated analog wireless signal.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein generating the first digital samples includes at least one of:

generating the first digital samples by frequency shifting the first analog wireless signal and digitizing the frequency-shifted first analog wireless signal; and

generating the first digital samples by down converting the first analog wireless signal and digitizing the down-converted first analog wireless signal.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the second portion of the second wireless spectrum overlaps in wireless spectrum with the first portion of the first wireless spectrum.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the second portion of the second wireless spectrum is covers the same frequency range as the first portion of the first wireless spectrum.